The Next Step in Your
Preparation
In my
article entitled "A Call to Prepare for Ministry," I shared about
the call to prepare for the ministry and how that a lifestyle of
study is a vital part. In this bulletin, I want to address some of
the paradigms I hear continually about classroom study verses
nontraditional study. To the surprise of many, this discussion will
not be about the overall quality of the educational process, per se.
Studies
What I
want to discuss are “real world” issues that deal with life in the
ministry. I can speak specifically on this issue since our only
purpose is to train aspirants of biblical ministry. I have had many
tell me that they need “in the classroom” experience, not
-
Self-Motivated
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Self-Disciplined
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Self-Determined
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Creative
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One with a sense of real dedication.
The
list could go on and on, but you get the idea. To succeed in
ministry, you must stay motivated, disciplined, be creative in your
approaches and have the determination to overcome any roadblocks the
devil will throw your way. These all can be developed or should I
say MUST be developed to complete your education through theological
education by extension (TEE) or by whatever other catch phrase they
are using in non-traditional education today. You must learn to make
study, discipline and creative problem solving a part of your
lifestyle, if you are going to succeed in completing your
educational journey. The very skills that must be developed to
complete your degree will serve you just as well as the knowledge
gained in the courses you take throughout your ministry.
Getting Down to the
Basics
Step One – You
Have Got to Schedule Time to Study.
If you
have never used a daily planner, scheduled times or made to-do
lists, then you have not been that involved in ministry very long.
The more that you have to do, the more necessary proper planning and
controlling your time becomes.
“3 Any
enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common
sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.”
Prov 24:3 TLB
Although I am not a big fan of the Living Bible, I think that they
really hit the mark with this verse. If your life is going to
prosper in what God has called you to do, then wise planning, common
sense and keeping up to date is a divine must! Get a DayTimer,
Franklin-Covey Planner, PDA – whatever you feel comfortable with and
start using it. Plan at least three 90 minute sessions of
uninterrupted study per week. Then begin working on keeping those
appointments and making the best use of that time. You will find
that the doers and shakers in the Kingdom of God, as well as in the
business world, will constantly schedule everything. In my own life,
I schedule times for morning prayer, morning exercise, times for
study, writing and (since I love my wife and being married) special
times with her each week. What you do not plan for and MAKE time
for, you will seldom ever accomplish.
This is a discipline that will serve you for the rest of your life
and ministry.
Step Two –
Integrate Study Habits into Your Lifestyle
The
busier you get in life and ministry, the more you will need to
redeem the time that you have for study. As I shared in the last
bulletin, once you enter into ministry, you will really begin to
study. All the study that you complete in your ministerial
preparation is simply the foundation. If we endeavored to develop
programs that would prepare you for everything you would face in
ministry, you would be in seminary until the age of 70! The purpose
of college and seminary is to give you the proper foundation and
tools that you will need to use for the rest of your life. So here
are some tips for redeeming the time:
1.
Audio taped lectures.
I cannot stress the power of these enough. It takes time to get the
great truths of God deep within our spirit, mind and heart. I was
recently listening to another Christian educator that stated for you
to retain the information given in a lecture or sermon that you must
listen to it at least 12 times. Now I am not saying that you must
listen to every BLCS lecture that many times. For the purpose of our
courses, I recommend that you listen to each message twice. The
first time, just listen through it. Enjoy the teaching and get an
overall sense of what is being said. The second time, slow down and
take notes. Listen for the things that the Holy Spirit is
emphasizing to you. You will be amazed at the revelation knowledge
that can be generated in these lectures.
Get creative in your
listening times.
The wonderful thing about audio tapes, CD and MP3 files is that you
can take them with you wherever you go. You can listen to them
driving back and forth to work, exercising, doing housework, etc.
This is why we have been working day and
night
to convert all of our lectures to the MP3 format. Devices like the
iPod make this so much easier. On my iPod, I have about 1,000 of my
favorite songs, around 37 audio books and at least 70 complete
teachings from my favorite bible teachers and preachers. I keep it
in my briefcase (which is usually within arm’s reach of me at all
times) so I can pick it up and begin using it when I have a few
moments. There are things that God is doing in my life and in my
spirit that must be nurtured. Anointed teachings have always been
one of the ways God has used. Could you have believed that you could
have all the lectures from an entire college course sitting in your
pocket and ready for your benefit at any time? Don’t you think it's
time that the people of God use these technologies for our benefit?
2.
Keep a textbook and
highlighters with you all the time. For a minister, books have
always been of utmost importance. While Paul was in prison, he asked
for his books to be brought to him. (2 Tim 4:13) An under-read
minister is ill prepared for what life brings his
You
should keep the textbook of the current course you are studying with
you along with a set of highlighters. (My favorite highlighters are
the Zazzle by Zebra. They work the best of any I have tested and a
five color pack is available at Wal-Mart or Staples.) When you get a
few spare moments, jump into your next chapter. Again, like with the
audio lectures,
read
through the chapter first. Then go back over it again, highlighting
important statements or information. If a statement is used by the
Holy Spirit to spur another thought or idea, I will usually write it
in the margin of the book. This way I can use it later.
Once
you have read through the chapter twice, then go to the workbook and
answer the questions asked. You will find many times that the
statements you highlighted are the same statements the professor
found important enough to write questions around.
Step Three – You
Have Got to Have a Prayer Life
It is
the power of the Holy Spirit and His anointing that will take these
studies and transform your life. You have got to stay plugged into
God. Every failure in ministry (or in a godly life) can be
attributed to a failure in prayer. While you are scheduling time to
study, listen to lectures or even time with your wife, remember to
schedule time with God. That time breathes life into us and
rejuvenates our spirit and soul.
A Final Thought
We get
many questions about on-line studies. Although these work well for
completing an MBA for the busy businessman, I am not fully convinced
that it is the most conducive medium for training aspirants of
ministry. Why? - for the very reasons I have already given. You need
the time listening to anointed teachers to produce life
transformations and divine impartations. You need time contemplating
what is written in the books to stretch your heart and soul so that
the Kingdom of God is increased in your life. For the minister, it
is more than just the accumulation of knowledge. It is cultivating
an environment for spiritual revelation and impartation. Without
creating this type of spiritual atmosphere, I am afraid we will
produce a generation of ministers that make ministry a business
instead of a lifestyle!
